Tuesday, 7 August 2007

Harry Potter 1-6

Harry Potter 1-6J.K. Rowling

In preparation for the upcoming release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, I followed the
fantasy fan grand tradition and re-read the entire series from the
beginning. It took me about 10 days, including staying up til 4.00am
on the Friday before the release of book seven, to finish them all. It
was worth it in the end: I cared deeply about the characters and their
fates; perfect for finding out how it all ended.

Some random thoughts from reading them a second time.

The Philosopher's Stone
will always be a sentimental favourite. It has an innocence and magic
that the other's can't match. The surprise of this enjoyable world
can't be repeated.

The Prisoner of Azkaban
is the strongest; The Chamber of
Secrets is the weakest.

Ron is a lot less
irritating on paper than he is in the movies.

The big action sequence at the end of The Order of the Phoenix is disappointing.

The Philosopher's Stone
was a test book: will this sell? The
Chamber of Secrets was 'Oh no, we're on to something get this
out quick!' The Prisoner of
Azkaban was introducing some new characters and casting around
for the real story. The Goblet of
Fire is where the story really
started. The Order of the
Phoenix and The Half-Blood
Prince were middle books.

But no matter how I read them, and what different spin I read into
them, I loved the story. And to be honest, it fits together a little
too well for that final (cynical) analysis to be entirely
accurate. All those of you planning on
re-reading The Deathly
Hallows but slower, I can recommend starting right from the
beginning again, if you haven't already. You will get something out of
it.